TREORCHY families have reacted in anger after it was revealed the town’s sorting office may be moved to Ferndale – leaving them facing a 12-mile round trip to collect parcels in future.

Royal Mail have confirmed they are conducting a “feasibility study” to consider moving the office and its workforce to the Oaklands Business Parc in Ferndale.

But while jobs don’t appear to be under threat, families living nearby are worried about the impact the move would have on them.

Grocer Barbara Sampson of High Street, Treorchy said the news reflected the economic climate in the Rhondda.

The 78-year-old told the Leader: “It’s not a surprise really, these are difficult times for everyone up here.

“The people making these decisions aren’t in touch with what some of us are facing.

“This is the worst things have been for 30 years, it really is very sad.”

Unemployed Sam Davies, 20, of Queen Street, Ton Pentre said: “I can’t drive so how will I be expected to get to Ferndale to pick up my parcels?

“My mail could be waiting there for months before I get a chance to collect it.

“The whole thing will just be a pain for people living around here.

“It’ll be even worse for older people, what are they supposed to do if they’ve got no-one to help them?”

Plaid councillor for Treorchy, Sera Evans-Fear shares residents’ concerns and warned that the decision would affect the whole of the Rhondda Fawr.

She said: “People from Treherbert, Ton Pentre and other towns all use the sorting office.

“There is a real worry that we are losing our amenities and services up here.

“There has been no consultation with the local residents which is a real worry.

“I know people will be devastated if they lose the sorting office.

“I remember in the winter we didn’t have mail for nearly three weeks. I was picking up mail from the sorting office and there was a huge queue; everyone had parcels to fetch.

“If it moves how will we be able to do that?”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We can confirm that we are undertaking a feasibility study into the possibility of moving our current Royal Mail delivery office operations at 21-23 High Street, Treorchy, to our Royal Mail delivery office at Oaklands Business Parc, Ferndale.

“As a commercial business, operating in a market that is open to competition from other postal operators, Royal Mail is always looking at ways to reduce its costs and improve efficiency, with minimal impact on its customers.

“Whenever a delivery office move goes ahead, we would always offer our customers alternative means of receiving undelivered items of mail, including re-delivery to the addressee, to another local address specified by the customer, or to arrange collection from a nearby Post Office branch.

“We also operate an open and honest policy with our staff and any modernisation or efficiency proposals being considered would always involve full discussions with all staff affected by any proposed change.”